Very Berry Spinach Salad with Popped Quinoa & Citrus Yogurt Dressing
Spinach salad tastes SO much better when it’s paired with lots of seasonal fresh berries and a tangy citrus yogurt dressing. Don’tcha think?
There are SO MANY things I love about summer. The weather, the sun, the very much smaller loads of laundry from very much smaller clothes, the way that life just seems so much easier and slower, and of course, the berries! I love fresh berries.
Yes, I know you can actually get them year round, but at $4.99 for a tiny little container, I say NO WAY. So I really, really, love it when I see prices in the $2.99 range for the extra-large containers, and I can hardly contain myself when I see a good buy-one-get-one deal!
I recently stocked up on every kind of berry available at Costco and Sprouts Market, and I have more berries in my fridge than I know what to do with.
So  fresh berries are the inspiration for this Very Berry Spinach Salad. The popped quinoa adds a bit of a nutty crunch. Just heat the uncooked quinoa in a pan and toast it until it pops. Kind of like tiny baby round popcorn-like croutons.
Strawberries are a must, (don’t they just go with spinach salad?) but you can add blackberries, blue berries, raspberries, or all of the above. Did you know berries are one of the best fruit sources for disease fighting antioxidants? No need to special order those expensive super food berries – fresh summer berries are the ultimate superfood.
Come to think of it, the spinach is pretty darn loaded with them too. That makes this a Pretty-Healthy Superfood salad.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup quinoa rinsed and patted dry
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
- 1 1/2 cups mixture of blue berries raspberries, and/or black berries
- 1/4 of a small sweet onion sliced thin
- 1/4 cup of toasted salted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
Dressing
- juice of 1 lime
- juice of 1 small lemon
- juice of 1 medium orange
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large saucepan on high heat, and add quinoa to hot, dry pan. Toss quinoa lightly to let dry, and let pan sit until quinoa starts to pop. Toss quinoa lightly while popping, so its pops evenly, and doesn't burn. Remove from heat when quinoa is light golden brown and popping slows.
- Combine all remaining salad ingredients in a large bowl, and toss well.
- Combine all dressing ingredients except for salt and pepper in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour desired amount of dressing over salad, and sprinkle with popped quinoa.
- Toss well and serve.
- Store extra dressing in a jar or covered container.
Do you eat berries year round? Or mostly in the summer? Have you ever popped quinoa?
Eat well!
SaveSave
This looks like such a delicious salad! Especially the popped quinoa, yum. I can’t get enough fresh berries at this time of year, I’ll eat them any which way!
Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out the recipe Sasha!
So many gorgeous things going on in this salad! Never tried popping quinoa, but love that idea for adding some crunch to the plate!
Thanks Christine! Popped grains are such a fun way to add crunch and texture! Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment 🙂
What a beautiful salad and I’ve never head of popped Quinoa but can’t wait to try it!
Kathi
Thanks Kathi, and happy popping 🙂
I’m also super curious about the popped Quinoa. Thanks for sharing, this looks like a delicious nutritional recipe! 🙂
It’s so easy to do. I’ve also seen popped amaranth, but it’s even smaller than quinoa. Kind of fun to try! Thanks for stopping by!
I am such a ditz… I thought it was poppyseed dressing ha I must be hungry & seeing things 😉
Either way, this salad looks INCREDIBLE!
Ha! It does look like poppy seeds 🙂
I looove poppyseed dressing! and berries! and spinach! and popped quinoa – what?! I need to try that! Basically, you put all my faves in one salad. Must make asap!
Thanks and so glad I got all of your favorites in one bowl! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
This salad sounds delicious! I love berriea year round if I can find them at a reasonable price. I have never tried popped quinoa though. Looks like it would add a jice crunch to the salad. Pinning it!
Thanks Marie 🙂 I love the popped quinoa – it definitely adds a nice nutty crunch! Thanks for visiting!